Yet the situation in Libya, which shares a 1,100-kilometer border with Egypt, is critical to Sisi’s calculations of national security. Put simply, his government, which gained power by overthrowing the Muslim Brotherhood, does not want to see Islamist militias in Libya infiltrate Egypt. Cairo can benefit from its rapprochements with Qatar and Turkey, so as to better ensure that Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups in Libya, which Doha and Ankara have influence over, will not threaten Egypt. Finally, the Egyptians are interested in luring more foreign investment from gas-wealthy Qatar into their economy, which was already stagnating prior to Covid-19 and was singularly affected by the pandemic, which cost the nation tens of billions of dollars in lost tourism revenue.

Building on the Baghdad Summit

The Middle East finds itself in a unique period of history. There has been a general realization that pursuing long-term prosperity and peace in the region requires burying ideological differences in the interest of enhancing greater cooperation and understanding between various rivals. Although no one can know how much the Baghdad Summit will do to facilitate greater diplomacy between governments with competing interests, it was nonetheless a historic and significant conference that states in the region have a clear interest in building upon. It would behoove regional policymakers to push for making such summits in Iraq routine.

As the region’s states prepare for the post-U.S. era, they have realized that engaging with each other, even to a limited extent, is critical to promoting greater stability in the tumultuous Middle East. Recent events in Afghanistan, in which Washington abruptly withdrew its support for the administration of Ashraf Ghani—and then did nothing to prevent the Taliban takeover of Kabul—underscore the inherent risks in entrusting one’s security to the United States. None of the states of the Middle East, whether pro- or anti-American in character, have any desire to see those events repeated in their own countries. To prevent such an outcome, diplomacy and engagement, even if challenging and unsuccessful in the short run, is essential for the peaceful and prosperous future of the region.

Dr. Khalid al-Jaber is the Director of MENA Center in Washington, DC. Previously, he served at al-Sharq Studies & Research Center and as Editor-in-Chief of The Peninsula, Qatar’s leading English language daily newspaper. Al-Jaber is a scholar of Arab and Gulf Studies, and his research focuses on political science, public diplomacy, international communications, and international relations. He has published scholarly works in several academic books and professional journals, including the World Press Encyclopedia, Sage, and Gazette.

Image: Reuters.